Relatives seek answers after body of teenage girl, 15, found in Utah river

The body of Anne Kasprzak, 15, of Riverton, was recovered Sunday in the Jordan River. Draper Police Sgt. Chad Carpenter told the Salt Lake Tribune that there were injuries to the girl's body, but he declined to elaborate.
(Draper Police Department)

Relatives of a Utah teenager are pleading for answers after the girl's body was found Sunday in a river.

The body of Anne Kasprzak, 15, of Riverton, was recovered Sunday in the Jordan River. Draper Police Sgt. Chad Carpenter told the Salt Lake Tribune that there were injuries to the girl's body, but he declined to elaborate.

Kasprzak, a freshman at Summit Academy High School in Bluffdale, was a "fun-loving" girl who struggled with the divorce of her parents, her uncle told Fox 13 Now.

Within the last few years her parents had been divorced and remarried, and that was difficult for her,” said Scott Little, adding that he's still trying to understand why anyone would hurt his niece.

“We are in the dark just as much as everyone in the public is,” he said. "We would really love to have closure."

Little says Kasprzak enjoyed walking along the Jordan River Parkway, in part to get away during difficult times and be alone. But Kasprzak would have defended herself if attacked during those walks, another uncle of the girl told Fox 13 Now.

“She’s a very strong-willed child; if something happened she would defend herself,” Jonathan Kasprzak told the website.

Carpenter said the girl was last seen Saturday by her mother, who reported her missing.

Draper Councilman Troy Walker, who also serves as a board trustee for the school, said counselors announced Kasprzak's death on Monday and made grief counselors available to all students.

"By all accounts, she was a good student and a great kid," Walker told FoxNews.com. "[Students] are wearing red in honor of her today, her favorite color. We're obviously very saddened for the family. I cannot conceive of a worse tragedy than losing a child."

Draper City Police Department officials sought the public's help on Tuesday to narrow down the timeline in the case, asking for information from anyone who saw Kasprzak between late Saturday and early Sunday. Anyone with information should call (801) 840-4000.

Kasprzak was last seen wearing a red plaid shirt, blue jeans and red sneakers.